Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 23, 2000)
TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, August 23, 2000 The Official Newspaper of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow Heppner GAZETTE-TIMES U S P S. 240-420 Morrow County’s Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper Published weekly and entered as penodical matter at the Post Office at Heppner, Oregon under the Act of March 3,1879 Penodical postage paid at Heppner, Oregon Office at 147 W WillowStreet Telephone(541 >676-9228 Fax(541)676-9211 E-mail gt@heppnernet or gti.urapidserve net Web site: www heppner.net Postmaster send address changes to the Heppner Gazette-Times, P O Box 337, Heppner, Oregon 97836. Subscriptions S22 in Morrow County , $16 senior rate (in Morrow County only; 62 years or older), $29 else where David Sykes...............................................................................................................Publisher April Hilton-Sykes .................................................................................................... Editor On th e HEPP.XER H'EBSITE: www.heppner.net • Start or Change a Subscription • Place a Classified Ad • Submit a News Story • View Real Estate for Sale • City Council & Planning Minutes • Local Businesses • County Park • Willow Creek Park Reservations • Free Digital Postcards • Senior Housing • and more! Letters to the Editor Editor s note: Letters to the Editor must be signed. The Gazette-Times w ill not publish unsigned letters Please include your address and phone number on all letters for use by the G-T office. The G-T reserves the right to edit. The G-T is not responsible for accuracy o f statements made in letters. Has heard it all, but still shows up with smile To the Editor: Fair comes and goes, bodies are energized and exhausted. Faithfully, I have my volunteers who maintain the main gate each year. Excitedly enough for me, 1 didn't have to go look for these wonderful people. They came to me! These people stand at the gate and gladly accept to take your money for a worthy cause. Remember when you pay at the gate, this money goes toward children's premiums. Fair wouldn't be the same without the children. For they are "growing" to be our future. At all times, we try to give m^py warm welcomes. With a smile on our face and a frustrated human being digging in their pocket for $2 makes a long shift of three or 12 hrs. But the people who come through v^th a smile "tipw qo you do?” make it all the worth while. I've hear it all from, "I just need to talk to...." or "I'm on litter patrol.. (R.H. Owes) or even "I've never had to pay before!" Where is the honesty in this? What does it teach your children. I believe without a doubt that Morrow County Fair doesn't charge an arm and a leg and the Fair Board has your community fair in its best interest. Do you really think that you shouldn't have to pay? What fair is free? What would fair be without children who participate each year? What really does it do to your pocket book? No matter what the situation it to be, I will be back with my brightest smile and energized body waiting for you to gladly give to the community. After all "fair" is "fair". (s) Merry Brannon jeeks info for school project To the Editor: My name is Yolanda. I am a student at John F. Kennedy Learning Center in Dallas, Texas. We are studying about our country. I would like readers of this newspaper to send me postcards telling about your state, maps, pictures or other cool stuff to help me with my project. Yolanda Alanis J.F. Kennedy Learning Center 1802 Moser Dallas, Tx. 75206 1949 saddle bronc winner returns to Heppner rodeo Old cowboys may ride off into the sunset, but they never lose the love of the rodeo. Roy Barger, 69, the winner of the saddle bronc event at the Rodeo Cowboys Association rodeo in Heppner in 1949, made a trip back to Heppner this year, over 50 years after his win. Barger says that the horse he drew for his 1949 nde hadn't been ridden all year. "He was a chute-fighting horse," says Barger. "Everyone had been kicked off him. He usually fought in the chute. But, I just got everybody back, was real quiet and just nodded for him. And then I stuck my spurs in his shoulders and he went into a spin. He was good with me. I didn't give him any reason not to be. I was 20 years old at the time." Barger stayed on for the ride, but his hat didn't. "I never had a hat stay on me for the whole eight seconds," he laughs. He didn't have his own chaps with him, but instead borrowed from a friend, Eddie Akndge. (Eddie's name can be seen on the borrowed chaps in the 1949 photo above.) According to Barger, Akridge was a former world champion bareback rider who became an entertainer on the Las Vegas strip after he quit the rodeo circuit. Akndge not only "sang real good," but his birthday was only 10 days apart from Barger's. That year, besides winning at the Heppner rodeo, Barger also won the bronc riding at Arlington and Umatilla. At Arlington that year there were 64 bronc riders, each paying a $10 entrance fee. He said at the time, many of his friends rodeoed at Salem and couldn't figure out why he would come all the way out to Heppner and the other rodeos in eastern Oregon. Barger says the biggest difference between rodeos then and now is the prize money. Back then the prize was only around $300. On the circuit Barger was friends with Deb Copenhaver, two-time world champion saddle bronc rider. Copenhaver sent Barger a picture of him on Miss Klamath, ridden by only one other rider by the name of Billy Ward. By the time Barger made that 1949 ride he had had a lot of experience with horses growing up as a kid in Eugene. He worked on area ranches, riding and breaking horses, worked for a riding academy after school and also for horse traders. His dad also always had horses. He joined the RCA in 1948. Before returning to Eugene, where he has lived for the past 20 years, Barger lived for quite a while in Roseburg, where he owned a business. He used to sponsor the bronc riding event at the rodeo there. He remembers good friend Bob Chambers, a saddle maker at Hamley's and an announcer at the Pendleton 1949 Heppner rodeo saddle bronc winner Roy Barger (right) and his friend Louis De Moss pause for a photo with 2000 Morrow County Fair and Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo Queen Tracy Rankin (right) and Princess Rachel Faber. Not pictured is Princess Salli McElligott. Roy Barger during his winning ride in 1949. Round-Up and the rodeo. On this year's trip to Heppner Barger was accompanied by his friend, Louis DeMoss, 71, also originally from Eugene, now living in The Dalles. The pair have been friends since Barger was 12 or 13 years old. Also a cowboy back in the day, DeMoss rode bulls and bareback. "We always talked that when we retired we would go back to some of the rodeos," said DeMoss, who is now retired. Barger is still working and owns his own roofing business in Eugene. He roofed Hamley's Saddle Shop in 1989 and went to the Round-Up. His roofing clients also include the Emporium stores. While in Heppner Barger had a good time visiting with Floyd Jones and also Darcy Robinson and Mary Ann Munkers with the Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo. Barger adds that the pair really enjoyed returning to Heppner, "except for I can't find a room," he laughed. St. Patrick7; Senior Center Bulletin Board * The new event this week will be an Extension workshop August 28 at 1:30 p.m. in the dining room. Taught by Alice Voluntad, "Along Came a Spider " will focus on developing social networks, HOST FAMILIES NEEDED Make n new lifelong friend from abroad. Enrich your family with another cul ture. Now you can host an exchange student (girl or boy) from Sweden, Germany, Franco. Spain, England. Japan, Brazil. Italy or other countries. Becoming a host to a young international visitor is an experience of a lifetime! Piriyu, 15 yrx Engagement Temple-Coombs Klaus. 17 y n Call for information or to choose your own exchange student. Large variety o f nationalities, interests, hobbies, etc. now available (single parents, couples with or without children may host). Call us now. C a t h y a t (5 4 1 ) 4 2 2 -7 1 0 7 Sara at 1-800-733-2773 www.aase.com rounded 1976 Q exploring the importance of one's own social network, how networks change, the consequences of losing key people from them and finding ways to strengthen individual networks. The group activities promise to be fun as well ai> informative. Prizes and refreshments add to the mix. It's free and all are welcome. Seniors from Boardman plan to join us. Call the office 676-9030 Friends at the center were delighted by a brief visit from Mem Reamer Saturday August 19. Mem was the area agent from Pendleton when this center opened in 1988 and is now a specialist in the Stuhr Center, a senior center of 12,000 members in Beaverton. She promised to return soon on a Wednesday for more visiting. The meal menu for the birthday dinner Aug 30 will be Chicken James, Lyonnaise Potatoes, broccoli, rolls and cake. All Saints' Episcopal Church will assist with the serving. On Wednesdays at 11 a.m. Home Health takes blood pressures. hlUty Accredited ¡n rtm o tio n a l O rganization A W ORLD O f I NI I t a v i ANDINI» THROt bM CRUVW 4 ILTt RAL AND EDTCATKW UI. m o » . * AMS Dr. Richard and Karen Temple of Lexington announce the engagement of their daughter. Laurel Sabra, to Joel Christopher Coombs, son of Derrol and Rose Coombs of Prairie City. Laurel is a 1995 graduate of lone High School, lone, and a 1999 graduate of Pensacola Christian College in Pensacola, Florida, with a B.S. in pre-med. She is employed by Providence Portland Medical Center in Portland as a health unit coordinator. Joel was home schooled and then attended Prairie Baptist Church School, Praine High School, and is a 1998 graduate of Baker Valley Christian School, Baker City. He is employed by Glenwood Apartments in Portland as an apartment renovator. A September 2, 2000, wedding in Heppner is planned. The Umatilla-Morrow Education Service District will provide hearing screenings to public elementary school students including all kindergarten, first and third grade students, new students to the county, and parent/ teacher/ principal referrals of students in the other grades. These students will be screened on the dates listed. The hearing screening is done by the Umatilla-Morrow ESD for public school students of Umatilla and Morrow counties. It is cooperatively sponsored by local school districts. Approximately 4000 children will be seen. Children who fail the initial screening will be re screened within d three-week period. Parents who do not want their child's hearing to be screened should notify the school as soon as possible. If you have any questions regarding the hearing screening program, please contact your school principal, or contact the audiology department at the Umatilla-Morrow ESD, 966-3138. Screenings will be conducted on the following schedule: -Tuesday, Sept. 19-Heppner Elementary School, at 8:45 a.m.; -Wednesday, Sept. 20-Sam Boardman Elementary School, Boardman, at 8:30 a.m. -Thursday, Sept. 21-lone Elementary School at 8:30 a.m. -Monday, Oct. 2-A.C. Houghton Elementary School, Irrigon, at 8:30 a.m. -Thursday, Oct. 5-IES (recheck), at 8 a.m. -Thursday, Oct. 5-HES (recheck), at 9:30 a.m. (approximately). Wednesday, Oct. 11-SBE (recheck), at 8:30 a.m. -Monday, Oct. 23-ACH (recheck), at 8:30 a.m.; Pappas wins gun safe James Pappas, Heppner, was the winner of the gun safe raffled off by the Heppner Chamber of Commerce. The drawing was held at the Morrow County Rodeo Sunday.